All-Time Most Popular Games Tagged 'FPS' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/alltime/FPS/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> All-Time Most Popular Games Tagged 'FPS' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/css/logo.jpg All-Time Most Popular Games Tagged 'FPS' on The Great Games Experiment http://www.greatgamesexperiment.com/games/popular/alltime/FPS/?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=rss ]]> en-us Quake Rage through 32 single player levels and 6 deathmatch levels of sheer terror and fully immersive sound and lighting. Arm yourself against the cannibalistic Ogre, fiendish Vore and indestructible Schambler using letal nails, fierce Thunderbolts and abominable Rocket and Grenade Launchers.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 04:48:39 Half-Life: Opposing Force In Half-Life: Opposing Force you control Adrian Shepard, a soldier tasked with the clean up of the Black Mesa facility. Fight along side your military comrades as you see the facility from a new perspective.
]]> 01 Dec 2006 10:15:17 Grand Theft Auto III Grand Theft Auto III (GTA III) is an action computer and video game developed by DMA Design (now Rockstar North), published by Rockstar Games in October 2001 (see 2001 in video gaming) for the PlayStation 2 video game console, May 2002 for Windows-based personal computers (PCs), and in November 2003 for the Xbox video game console. A part of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, it is preceded by Grand Theft Auto 2 (GTA2) and succeeded by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Vice City). GTA III is also the first in the series to be released on the PlayStation 2.

The game centers on a nameless criminal who was betrayed by his girlfriend in a bank heist, and is required to work his way up the crime ladder of the city, before confronting her and eventually taking his revenge. Like its predecessors, GTA III implements sandbox-like gameplay, where the player is given the freedom to perform various activities in a large city, such as completing missions, exploring the city, committing criminal acts, or completing side missions.

The game concept and gameplay, coupled with the use of a three dimensional game engine for the first time in the series contributed to GTA III's positive reception upon its release and became 2001's top selling video game. GTA III's success was a significant factor in the series' subsequent popularity; as of 2006, five GTA prequels set before events in GTA III have been released. GTA III's violent and sexual contents have also been the source of moral panic and controversy.

Grand Theft Auto III takes place in Liberty City, a fictional city on the East Coast (based on New York City and eastern New Jersey). The timeline of the game was intended to be set at the present time around the first release of GTA III, October 22, 2001; this was indicated by the Liberty Tree website, which included plot points that connect to events in the beginning of the game, in its last existing monthly entry, dated October 18, 2001.[7]

Throughout the story, the protagonist and player character is never named (though he is referred to by several in game characters as "Fido" or "The Kid"). The player character is also a silent protagonist, never uttering a single word.
]]> 07 Dec 2006 07:42:53 Serious Sam With humanity on the brink of extinction; there is but one who can save us all, Sam!
]]> 07 Dec 2006 08:34:21 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Vice City is a loose prequel to the preceding game in the series, GTA III, which took place in the present day at the time of its 2001 release. The game is set in fictional Vice City, which is based on Miami, Florida. The game's look, particularly the clothing and vehicles, reflect (and sometimes gently parody) its 1986 setting (with the packaging and artwork in particular owing a great debt to 1980s artist Patrick Nagel). In contrast to the gritty urbanism of Grand Theft Auto III's Liberty City, Vice City appears (mostly) clean and upscale, with golden beaches, waving palm trees, and vivid purple sunsets.

The player takes the role of Tommy Vercetti, who has recently been released from prison in Liberty City. While attempting to re-establish himself within the Forelli Mafia family, boss Sonny Forelli sends Tommy to Vice City to supervise an important drug deal. At the exchange, masked gunmen kill three of the people involved in the trade (two Forelli henchmen and Victor Vance, Lance Vance's brother), stealing both the drugs and the money Tommy was charged with protecting. Vercetti narrowly escapes and informs Sonny, who demands that Tommy get back both the "product" and the money. Both Sonny and Tommy wish to kill those responsible for the theft.

Much of the action in Vice City concerns Vercetti's burgeoning criminal empire, spanning drug trafficking, contract killings, counterfeiting, and protection. The player progresses through the game narrative by performing a series of missions, most of which involve criminal activities. This takes Vercetti from being a small-time hood staying in a beachfront hotel to being the city's crime kingpin, but Sonny is looming over Tommy until he finally comes down to get his stuff personally. And in a shootout similar to that of the ending of the Brian De Palma film Scarface, Tommy Vercetti kills Sonny Forelli and his traitorous partner Lance Vance.
]]> 07 Dec 2006 09:15:20 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA:SA) is an action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and fifth original game overall. Originally released for the PlayStation 2 in October 2004, the game has since been ported to the Xbox and Microsoft Windows, and has received wide acclaim and high sales figures on all three platforms.

Set in 1992, the game revolves around the main character, Carl "CJ" Johnson returning home to Los Santos after learning of his mother's murder. CJ finds his family and his old gang, the Grove Street Families, in disarray. Over the course of the game, CJ gradually unravels the plot behind his mother's murder while working to reestablish his gang and exploring his own business ventures.

Much like the previous entries in the Grand Theft Auto series, San Andreas's critical and commercial success has not been without controversy; hidden content in the game resulted in the game's re-rating and subsequent removal from many retailers' shelves.

San Andreas is structured similarly to the previous two games in the series. The core gameplay consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, affording the player a large, open environment to move around in. On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as utilizing weapons and basic hand to hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, airplanes, helicopters, trains, and motorcycles.

The open, non-linear environment allows players to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. Although storyline missions are necessary to progress through the game and unlock certain cities and content, they are not required, as players can complete them at their own leisure. When not taking on a storyline mission, players can free-roam and create havoc (e.g. drive-by shootings, robberies, etc). However, doing so can attract unwanted and potentially fatal attention from the authorities. The more chaos caused, the stronger the response: police will handle minor infractions, whereas SWAT teams, the FBI, and the military respond to higher wanted levels.

The player can also partake in a variety of optional side missions. The traditional side missions of the past games are included, such as dropping off taxi cab passengers, putting out fires, driving injured people to the hospital, and fighting crime as a vigilante. New additions include truck and train driving missions requiring players to make deliveries on time, and driving/flying/boating/biking schools, which help players learn skills and techniques to use in their corresponding vehicles.
]]> 07 Dec 2006 09:16:40 Duke Nukem 3D Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter developed by 3D Realms and released on January 29, 1996 by Apogee Software, featuring the adventures of Duke Nukem, based on a character that had appeared in earlier platform games by the company: Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II.
]]> 12 Dec 2006 04:31:12 Quake 3: Arena Welcome to the Arena, where high-ranking warriors are transformed into spineless mush. Abandoning every ounce of common sense and any trace of doubt, you lunge onto a stage of harrowing landscapes and veiled abysses. Your new environment rejects you with lava pits and atmospheric hazards as legions of foes surround you, testing the gut reaction that brought you here in the first place. Your new mantra: Fight or be finished.

Quake 3 is a multiplayer arena-style first-person shooter. Quake 3 follows in the footsteps of Doom and Quake in providing a frantic and exciting deathmatch experience.
]]> 14 Dec 2006 02:36:57 Medal of Honor Allied Assault From the Developer's web site:

Prepare For Your Finest Hour
As Lt. Mike Powell, member of the famed 1st Ranger Battalion, you'll battle through over 20 levels based on historical military campaigns of World War II.

Fire period weapons and command authentic war vehicles as you silence the gun batteries at Port Arzew, survive the Omaha Beach landing, and more.

From the contributor:

Medal of Honor Allied Assault was the first in a series of games under this franchise. At the time, it's style and feel were unique and in many ways ground breaking with many similar games coming after it. This is not to say that it was the first or run-away best, but one of the most common compliments seems to be that it was the first to really capture the "right feel". The weapons look, sound and play incredibly true to their real world counterparts and the settings for the missions are beautiful. If you are a fan of the genre, this is a must play.
]]> 29 Jan 2007 08:23:06 Call of Duty 2 Call of Duty 2 redefines the cinematic intensity and chaos of battle as seen through the eyes of ordinary soldiers fighting together in epic WWII conflicts. The sequel to 2003's Call of Duty, winner of over 80 Game of the Year awards, Call of Duty 2 offers more immense, more intense, more realistic battles than ever before, thanks to the stunning visuals of the new COD engine.
]]> 25 Nov 2006 06:37:45 Descent II Developed By: Interplay, Parallax Software
Genre: Action
Release Date: Feb 29, 1996
Players: 1-8
]]> 12 Jan 2007 03:29:43 Doom The mother of all FPSes...

Doom. Run around, blast demons, get weapons. Uncompromisingly intense, with no shortage of challenge, Doom ushered in a new era - the age of the FPS.
]]> 26 Nov 2006 06:16:16 Thief 2: The Metal Age On the streets and rooftops of a darkened city, where the forces of a corrupt sheriff loom, it takes someone with a soft touch and even softer step to stay ahead of the law. For a master thief like Garrett, the choices are clear: profit or perish. Thief II: The Metal Age expands on the smash-hit "first-person sneaker", Thief: The Dark Project, demanding a whole new level of stealth, strategy, and skill to survive.

(from the Eidos Interactive Thief 2 page)
]]> 05 Dec 2006 07:02:01 Doom II Published by: GT Interactive
Developed by: id Software

Genre: First-Person Shooter
Number of Players: 1-4
Release Date: May 5, 1994
Also Available On: Game Boy Advance, Tapwave Zodiac
]]> 19 Jan 2007 04:54:29 Day of Defeat Day of Defeat is a FPS style gamed themed about WWII with emphasis on the fight between the Axis (Germany) and the Allies (USA and UK). Combat takes place in several locations presumably in Germany. The main style of play is detonating targets with TNT. Each side has 5 main types of soldiers: Assult and Support to name a few. Each type has their own specialty from sniper to machine gunner. Once you die you must wait a certain length of time then you are placed back in your spawn location and allowed to rejoin combat.
]]> 23 Jan 2007 07:07:55 Star Wars: Dark Forces Developed By: LucasArts
Genre: Sci-Fi First-Person Shooter
Release Date: Feb 28, 1995
Players: 1
]]> 12 Jan 2007 02:52:15 Doom 3 A massive demonic invasion has overwhelmed the Union Aerospace Corporation's(UAC) Mars Research Facility leaving only chaos and horror in its wake. As one of only a few survivors, you struggle with shock and fear as you fight your way to hell and back, in an epic clash against pure evil. Built on ID's revolutionary new 3D graphics engine Doom 3 draws you into the most frightening and gripping 3D gaming experience ever created.
]]> 14 Jan 2007 11:34:43 Aliens Versus Predator What do you get when you cross two intense action movies? ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, that's what. In this hybrid of the two blockbuster films, you play the role of a Predator that has descended on the planet Vega 4 in order to pursue your favorite pastime: hunting humans. But instead of people, you discover hordes of nasty Aliens that are just as determined as you are to destroy all life forms. So the hunt begins as you go up against Alien drones, warriors, chest-bursters, and face-huggers on your new quest to kill the Alien Queen. You'll have to utilize all the advanced Predator technology at your disposal as you fight your way through wave after wave of Aliens on your way to your ultimate prize.

From IGN
]]> 08 Feb 2007 07:03:22 Descent Publisher: Interplay
Developer: Parallax Software
Genre(s): Action
Players: 8
Release Date: February 28, 1995
]]> 12 Jan 2007 02:33:45 Halo 2 Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox game console on November 9, 2004, the game is a direct sequel to the critically acclaimed blockbuster Halo: Combat Evolved. From the day of its initial release, Halo 2 has been the most popular video game on Xbox Live, even after the release of the Xbox 360. On June 20, 2006, more than a half-billion games of Halo 2 had been played on Xbox Live since its debut, and by October 30, 2006, this number was raised to four billion. Halo 2 is compatible with the Xbox 360, including its Xbox Live functionality.
]]> 19 Dec 2006 02:18:15 Return To Castle Wolfenstein Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC) is a first person shooter computer game published by Activision and released on November 20, 2001. The single player game was developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Nerve Software developed its multiplayer mode. Id Software, the creators of the original game entitled Wolfenstein 3D, oversaw the development of the game and were credited as executive producers. The multiplayer side, developed by Nerve Software, eventually became the best reason to own the game, and it grandfathered in many features that online multiplayer FPS's have today.
]]> 07 Feb 2007 04:41:03 Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 Based on a true story.

In a game set during the famous airdrop before the invasion at Normandy, Sgt. Matt Baker and his squad of 101st Airborne Paratroopers are scattered over the French countryside. As the story unfolds, the player (Baker) must choose between the success of his mission and the lives of his men - his brothers in arms.

Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30 will immerse players in the historic eight-day invasion of Normandy - with unparalleled imagery, authenticity, sound, and gameplay.
]]> 07 Feb 2007 04:00:54 Far Cry Far Cry is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Crytek Studios and published by Ubisoft on March 23, 2004. Far Cry sold 730,000 units within four months of release. The game's story follows an ex-Special Forces man named Jack Carver, who is stranded on a mysterious archipelago in Micronesia. He is searching for a female journalist he was escorting after she went missing when their sailboat was destroyed by mercenaries.
]]> 01 Dec 2006 11:40:12 Heretic Raven Software teamed up with Id Software for the second time in its creation of the hit fantasy action game Heretic. Based on a modified DooM engine, Heretic pioneered a revolutionary new inventory system for character item use that has become commonplace in the FPS genre. Id Software published the game under its flag and it was distributed by GT Interactive.

Players took the role of Corvus, an Elven hero whose race was nearly eliminated by a horde of evil monsters from another dimension. The first episode of Heretic was released as Shareware as a precursor to the full version of the game, Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders.

Heretic won several awards for excellence, appeared in such notable publications as USA Today and Playboy, and opened many new doors in the computer gaming software industry for Raven Software and its team of developers. Heretic was Raven Software's most popular, highest acclaimed, biggest selling game to that point.

(from the Raven Software Heretic page)
]]> 13 Dec 2006 01:18:12 Battlefield 2 In Battlefield 2, players will choose to fight for one of three military superpowers: the United States, the Chinese, or the newly formed Middle East Coalition. Armed with the latest modern weaponry, players can take control of any of the game's 30+ vehicles to engage in major conflicts with over 64 players in some of the largest online battles on the PC. Additionally, persistent character growth allows players to rise through the ranks and attain the ultimate rank of General.

An all-new game engine and physics system brings the modern battlefield to life like never before. The new material penetration feature measures weapons' ability to fire through barriers based on their composition and players will need to know the difference between concealment and cover in order to survive.
]]> 28 Dec 2006 12:04:34 Metroid prime 2: Echoes Article source: Nintendo Power

In this highly anticipated sequel to Metroid Prime, become the bounty hunter behind the visor once more and travel to a planet torn into light and darkness.


Retro Studios, producers of the wildly popular Metroid Prime, take Samus Aran on a terrifying journey.

Galactic Federation Trooper Squad Bravo is missing; their last transmission-- a distress call from a rogue planet called Aether, located in the Dasha region.

Enter legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran. Her mission: Locate the Federation troopers and render assistance. But what begins as a search and rescue mission becomes an intense, haunting sojourn to save a species from total genocide in a world caught in the maelstrom between dimensions of light and darkness.

Light Aether is the domain of the Luminoth, gentle beings with a unique and highly developed civilization. But when a great cataclysm tore the fabric of space and time, the Ing Horde were unleashed from Dark Aether, a dimensional echo of Light Aether. Now the Luminoth are under siege. The Ing send armies into Light Aether, absorb its lands into the clutches of Dark Aether, and possess the Luminoth's warriors. Only the Luminoth's four gigantic energy generators keep the Light World from collapsing. If the Ing seize control of the generators, the Light World will be extinguished forever. Samus embarks on her mission to defeat the Ing and restore peace to Aether.

But, as Samus will soon learn, an ominous shadow lurks in the darkness, a shadow which stealthily hunts the hunter...

Features

  • New Beam Weapons: The Dark Beam and the Light Beam wield powerful ordinance to crush the Ing, solve puzzles, and open doors

  • New Suits: As Samus traverses the depths of Light and Dark Aether she can don powerful new suits to protect her against the planets myriad enemies.

  • Screw Attack: The famous attack from Metroid games of the past makes its triumphant debut on the Nintendo GameCube

  • Power Ups: The space jump and the grapple beam are just some of the power-ups you'll find

  • Multiplayer Metroid: For the first time in the history of the franchise, up to four players can battle each other as they search for weapons, grapple across ceilings and turn into Morph Balls to make their escape

    • Bottom Line

    Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is one of those rare games that exceeds its predecessor in quality. The game expertly weaves themes of light and darkness in every element, from plot, to characters, weapons, power-ups, even the music. The action is engaging and intense (you'll love to hate the Ing Horde), the levels brilliantly designed, and the puzzles intelligent but approachable. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is a fantastic installment in one of the Nintendo GameCube's most exciting franchises.
    ]]>     28 Jan 2007 10:25:51     Red Faction Join a group of miners on Mars working for the evil Ultor Corporation. Miners have been dying from bad working conditions and a new disease. Join the Red Faction to combat Ultor and gain freedom for your fellow miners.
    ]]>     01 Dec 2006 10:22:10     Half-Life 2: Episode 1 The Story Continues
    In Half-Life, the G-Man made you. In Half-Life 2, he used you to defeat Dr. Breen and start the Resistance. In Episode One, he's lost control.

    Half-Life 2 has sold over 4 million copies worldwide, and earned over 35 Game of the Year Awards. Episode One is the first in a series of games that reveal the aftermath of Half-Life 2 and launch a journey beyond City 17.
    ]]>     25 Nov 2006 05:04:32     Unreal Tournament Upon its release in early November 1999, Unreal Tournament surprised the gaming community with its rock-solid network code, challenging single-player bot play, unique gameplay modes, and polished presentation. The critics were equally impressed and UT was awarded with Game of The Year honors by a variety of publications, including GameSpy.com and Computer Gaming World. UT was later ported to the PS2, Dreamcast, Linux, and Mac.
    Years later, people are still making great modifications and add-ons for UT. One successful community spawned mod, Tactical Ops, was even recently released as an entire stand-alone commercial product.
    ]]>     16 Dec 2006 11:57:09     No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way Super spy Cate Archer is on the prowl again in this campy, action-packed romp from Monolith.
    ]]>     29 Jan 2007 01:09:38     Half Life: BlueShift Final episode of the original Half Life game, where yet another perspective on the Black Mesa Event is given life.
    ]]>     07 Dec 2006 08:43:41     Star Wars: Republic Commando Star Wars: Republic Commando is a dark and intense first-person shooter for the Xbox video game system and PC, utilizing an enhanced version of the acclaimed Unreal engine technology. Unlike the largely main character focused Star Wars games of the past, Republic Commandopresents a dramatic military-style action experience from the point-of-view of an elite squad member of a Republic Special Operations unit. Players step into the role of a Commando performing precision operations deep behind enemy lines in this brutally realistic Star Wars combat experience. The game is set at the start of the Clone Wars, as seen in Episode II, featuring Clone Troopers and Jedi fighting a common foe side-by side.
    ]]>     07 Feb 2007 03:42:35     Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II In Dark Forces, Kyle Katarn, a young mercenary successfully infiltrated the Empire. Jedi Knight continues the story of Katarn as he embarks on a quest into his past and learns the mysterious ways of the Jedi. With this knowledge, he must stop seven Dark Jedi from unlocking the powers of a hidden Jedi burial ground. This task forces Katarn to decide his destiny. If he chooses the Dark side, he will come into enormous power. If he chooses the Light side, he faces seemingly insurmountable evil. Whatever path Katarn chooses will change the face of the galaxy forever.
    ]]>     07 Feb 2007 05:04:45     Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas ( From http://www.ubi.com/AU/Games/Info.aspx?pId=4505 )

    "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six makes its next generation hardware debut in the most dramatic installment of the renowned First-Person Shooter franchise to date.
    ]]>     15 Dec 2006 06:08:25     Perfect Dark Perfect Dark, the spiritual sequel to Rare's hit game Goldeneye, is a full featured shooter for the Nintendo 64. Building on the success of it's predecessor, Perfect Dark has a host of multiplayer, singleplayer, and training modes. The game's story follows Joanna Dark as she attempts to uncover the mystery of dataDyne, their dealings with an alien race known only as the Skedar, and the technology they are attempting to hide.

    The game supported 8 bots with the ability to give each both a distinct personality, a wealth of multiplayer modes such as Hold the Briefcase, cleverly designed levels and a whole armory of new weapons to use. It is also the first and only Nintendo 64 game to make use of custom soundtracks for multiplayer.

    In order to play the story mode or with more than two players in multiplayer, the game required the 4MB Expansion Pak to be plugged into the Nintendo 64.
    ]]>     29 Jan 2007 03:09:21     HeXeN Raven Software's HeXen actually began development as an expansion for Heretic that was originally slated to hit the shelves as "Heretic II." However, the game design so expanded beyond the original game that this proposed the expansion of the Heretic universe took on a bold new identity of its own...HeXen: Beyond Heretic.

    HeXen was developed over a period of 8 months, published by Id Software and distributed by GT Interactive in 1995. The game introduced the 3-D gaming world to the "hub system" of level progression, rotating polygonal brushes and multiple character classes that were available in both single player and multiplayer. All of this combined to help HeXen raise the bar for the first-person shooter genre. HeXen pushed Id Software's DooM engine to its absolute limits and surpassed Heretic as Raven Software's most popular, highly acclaimed title.

    The success of HeXen prompted a mission pack, Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, and several ports to home console gaming systems including the Sega Saturn, Nintendo 64 and the Sony PlayStation. HeXen also became the first Raven Software game made available for the Macintosh.

    (from the Raven Software Hexen page)
    ]]>     13 Dec 2006 01:40:26     Metroid Prime Article source: Nintendo Power

    Open season on Metroids has begun -- It's Prime time.

    Metroid Prime is a first-person adventure game. Players control a bounty hunter named Samus Aran who must unravel a mystery behind the ruined walls scattered across Tallon IV.

    The game opens just as Samus' spaceship docks on a Space Pirate vessel orbiting the planet. Immediately, the beautiful graphics slap you across the face. Trust us, it's a firm slap. A silky-smooth framerate accommodates razor-sharp visuals of efficient machinery and foreign architecture. Meanwhile, a cinematic soundtrack sets the mood and eerie sound effects thicken the alien atmosphere.

    By far, the most effective visual effect is that everything you see is viewed through Samus's visor. The entire screen has a convex look, and a digital display provides information ranging from current energy levels to ammunition data. The most effective ideas are sometimes the most simple, and the visor view in Metroid Prime makes a huge leap forward in immersing players in the first-person perspective.

    Samus uses a Power Beam to shoot a series of locked switches, and eventually enters a cylindrical corridor very similar to the passageways found in the original Metroid titles. When Samus strides by broken pipes spewing steam, the visor becomes smeared with condensation. Later in the demo, the visor is splattered with the internal juices of ruptured enemy carcasses. Yes, life within Samus' gravity suit is a beautiful thing.

    Weapon effects are equally pleasing. Hold the A Button to juice up the Charge Beam, and you see the corridor glow and warp as the blast travels through space. Enemy animation is delightfully disgusting, whether it's a giant parasite queen squirming from the ceiling or a swarm of blood-thirsty critters gushing from a dark hole. Take note: the word "swarm" has been misused in video game reviews for years. With Metroid Prime, we can use the word "swarm" and feel perfectly justified. The screen fills -- FILLS -- with baddies, and the framerate doesn't even blink.

    In the Gravity Suit

    Of course, graphics are just the glossing on the gravity suit. No matter how good a game looks, it won't get fired up more than once without solid game design and user-friendly play control. In Metroid Prime, both are spot-on.

    How do you know if play control is good? If you don't think about it, it's perfect. Once you get a feel for the Controller configuration in Metroid Prime, you spend 100% of your time worrying about blasting enemies -- not thinking about the play control.

    The Control Stick moves Samus around, the A Button fires weapons and the B Button makes Samus jump. Press and hold the R Button to enter an aiming mode which allows you to freely look around the environment. The L Button activates an automatic lock-on feature, which makes for easy strafing while firing at a targeted enemy.

    Changing weapons is as easy as moving the C-Stick. By pressing different directions on the D-Pad, you can activate the different features of Samus' visor. A variety of visor modes are available including Combat, Scan, Thermal and more. Combat is the normal view, and Scan produces a slightly magnified rectangular viewing strip in the middle of the visor. By pressing and holding the L Button, Samus can scan various items in the environment. Sometimes a scan simply provides additional information, and other times scanning an environmental element can activate a switch or identify and enemy's weak spot.

    Pressing the Y Button activates Samus's missiles, and the X Button engages the Morph Ball. The game switches to a third-person perspective while Samus is in Morph Ball form. In Morph Ball form, Samus can roll through tight quarters, place bombs, activate switches and much more.

    Exploration is Key

    When Samus lands on Tallon IV to begin her investigation of Space Pirate activity, the bounty hunter is stripped of most power-ups. It's up to you to explore the world and recover the many power-ups and weapons which gradually open more and more gameplay areas.

    Although this is a first-person game with plenty of shooting action, the heart of the experience is highly exploratory and adventurous. Enemies abound, but there are just as many elaborate puzzles to solve as there are bad guys to blast.

    For an immersive adventure unlike anything you've played before, get behind the visor and see what's it like to be Samus Aran in Metroid Prime.
    ]]>     28 Jan 2007 09:47:07     Unreal
    Alter your reality... forever

    A first-person shooter by Epic Games and Digital Extremes, Unreal was the game that started the highly successful and epic (pun not intended) franchise, and was seen as a direct rival to id Software's Quake series (both with the games and the technologies powering them).

    You are a convict on a prison transport ship when the ship crashes, marooning you on a strange, magnificent world the likes of which you've never seen. Battle the ruthless Skaarj as you try to free the race they're enslaving. Use your translator to decipher your surroundings, and above all, stay on your toes!
    ]]>     12 Jan 2007 06:53:23     Day of Defeat: Source Day of Defeat: Source is a FPS style gamed themed about WWII with emphasis on the fight between Germany and the USA. This source version includes major upgrades to the physics and graphics engines with the port to the Source Engine by Valve. Though it is still very similar to the original. Combat takes place in several locations presumably in Germany. There are 2 main modes for playing. The classic Capture the Flag and the new Plant the Bomb style. Both modes carry the same risks with constant fire from either side. Each side has 5 types of soldiers: Assult and Support to name a few. Each type has their own specialty from sniper to machine gunner. Each map generally has 5 flag locations or 2 bombing targets. The goal is to either capture all flags or destroy all targets. Once you die you must wait a certain length of time then you are placed back in your spawn location and allowed to rejoin combat.
    ]]>     23 Jan 2007 07:22:34     Battlefield 1942: Desert Combat Battlefield 1942 Desert Combat was a mod created before Battlefield 2. It essentially did what BF2 did before it ever came out brining modern warfare to the fold.
    ]]>     29 Jan 2007 01:36:51     Giants: Citizen Kabuto Everything about this game is strange.

    Your character choices are: a jetpack-loving British-ish alien, a semi-mermaid sorceress/archer, or an incredibly huge roaring monster that eats everything. All of them are a lot of fun and you play as each during the game's campaign.

    Gameplay is usually third-person shooting, but there's also resource collection, base-building, and even some vehicle races.

    The most unusual thing about Giants is that it tries to be funny - and is funny! Don't skip the cut-scenes on this one.

    Multiplayer supports large games with different modes. The most common is base vs base where each team tries to collect the most resources (brainy smarties) and destroy the enemy teams's base before it can be rebuilt. Resources are spent on buildings for weapon upgrades, base defense, and vehicle production. One player can be the giant Kabuto who's almost impossible to take down.
    ]]>     07 Feb 2007 01:46:03     Command and Conquer Renegade It's an RTS, but nobody has an overhead view. Everyone is a soldier. Online Multiplayer is the core fun of this game and it does that well.

    GDI fights NOD and both teams start with a complete base. The base has buildings for vehicles, power, resource collection, character upgrades, and defense. The objective is to destroy the other team's base.

    Players go about it by killing enemies, destroying the other team's (automated) resource collector, or by healing allies. Whenever a player does any of these things they earn money for themselves and that's what makes Renegade so interesting. There's nobody managing the team or overseeing everything from above. It all works because players are rewarded for being effective. Player income is used at the base for upgraded weapons or vehicles.
    ]]>     07 Feb 2007 03:13:47     Time Splitters 2 Timesplitters 2 narrates the humans' attempts to stop the Timesplitters from messing with human history once and for all. After attempting to destroy humanity's past, present, and future in the original, the Timesplitters are still at it. This time, they're using Time Crystals to travel through time again, housing the portal in a space station above a ruined Earth. Sgt. Cortez, Corp. Hart, and a team of marines are sent in to raid the space station in an attempt to stop the Timesplitters, but the raid goes horribly wrong! The Splitters detect them early, and throw the Time Crystals into a time portal. Cortez and Hart lock the doors to the portal room just as the splitters are about to get them. Now its time to retrieve the Crystals. Corp. Hart must man the controls whole Cortez goes searching through all of history trying to find the missing Time Crystals. Humanity's past, present, and future depends on it!

    Timesplitters 2 is a first-person shooter that features a new, more collected campaign and story mode, with three different difficulty levels, superbly animated cutscenes, and even a co-op mode. You must go through time to different eras in human history to prevent the Timesplitters from sabotaging human history again and retirive the Time Crystals to stop them from doing it once and for all! TS:2 also features an expansive multiplayer mode with multiple modes of play such as Bag Tag, Vampire, Virus, Shrink, Assault, and Monkey Assistant. Choose from over 100 unlockable characters featuring the original cast of the original, and tons of new loveable characters you'll want to blast. There is also an arcade league and a challenge mode with strange and interesting matches that will allow you to unlock tons of characters, stages, game modes, and cheats.
    ]]>     26 Jan 2007 12:40:17     XIII XIII is the first FPS to utilize cel-shaded graphics to create a visually stunning effect unique within the action genre. The next-generation animation and Unreal Engine technology combine to illustrate XIII's complex and immersive story. XIII features a conspiracy of epic proportions, and players will unravel clues behind the story's compelling and mysterious events through the game's unique flashback visuals. Are you a special-forces super soldier or just another psychopath with a gun? If you could only just remember. Feel lucky?
    ]]>     02 Feb 2007 12:01:02     Aliens vs Predator Aliens versus Predator is a science fiction first-person computer game developed by Rebellion and published by Sierra. It was officially released for PC and Mac in 1999, followed by an unofficial port to Linux in 2001, following Rebellion's public release of the game's source code. A sequel to Aliens vs Predator, Aliens vs. Predator 2, was developed by Monolith Productions, and released by Sierra in 2001. It is often considered the successor of the 1994 game for the Atari Jaguar.

    The game is a first person shooter (FPS), but differs from most other FPS in that the player can choose the perspective to play from : Alien, Predator or Human (Colonial Marine). These different perspectives afford distinct capabilities and weapons.

    In the most conventional case, playing as a human is the most similar to other FPS, and the player is able to access a wide array of weaponry (mostly that from the films). As well as powerful weaponry, Marines wear armour for protection and have an image intensifier and flares to improve visibility in dark environments.

    As a Predator, the player make use of Predator weapons such as the Plasmacaster, Disc and Wristblades. Predators are also somewhat more athletic than humans, can make use of a cloaking device to stalk prey, and have a range of different vision modes to aid them in hunting the other species. In the game, default Predator vision is similar to that of humans, but an infrared vision mode is available for tracking humans (similar to that in the Predator films), while a vision mode sensitive to electrical systems allows Predators to track Aliens (and androids).

    Playing as an Alien is the most significantly different perspective. Players are able to range freely over any surface regardless of its inclination. This allows wall-walking and completely novel means of attack. However, weaponry is restricted to claws, tail and jaws (for the infamous head-bite), though these themselves reward the player with a fairly unusual experience in FPS combat. By default, Aliens visually perceive the environment in a similar manner to humans, albeit distorted by a fisheye lens to increase field of view. Players can also switch to a "sonic resonance" or echolocation mode to increase visibility in dark environments (as explained in Aliens Vs. Predator 2). This is augmented by an ability to detect pheromones and to discern human or Predator prey.

    In the single player mode, the game presents a conventional series of levels to progress through. However, because of the differing abilities of the three species, the levels themselves are not always conventional in structure - Alien levels, for instance, often involve climbing through convoluted buildings. The levels are loosely structured, with progression sometimes a little arbitrary (e.g. Predator players find themselves, for a single level only, on the prison planet Fury 161 from the film Alien³).
    ]]>     25 Jan 2007 11:19:10     Final Doom Published by: id Software
    Developed by: id Software

    Genre: Action
    Number of Players: 1-4
    Release Date: June 17, 1996
    ]]>     19 Jan 2007 05:19:24     F.E.A.R. In F.E.A.R. you aren't a soldier -- you are a weapon. A paramilitary force infiltrates a multi billion dollar aerospace compound taking hostages, but issuing no demands. The government responds by sending in its best special operations teams, only to have them obliterated. Live footage of the massacre is cut short by an unexpected wave of destruction that leaves military leaders stunned and in disbelief. With no other option, they send in the ultimate warrior: You.


    The multiplayer part of the game, titled F.E.A.R. Combat, can be downloaded and played for free.
    ]]>     22 Nov 2006 10:16:30     Deus Ex: Invisible War Fifteen years following the events depicted in the multi-award winning Deus Ex, the world is just beginning to recover from catastrophic depression.

    As an elite anti-terrorist agent, you must fight numerous militant factions bent on violently reshaping the world to suit their own agendas. Using high-tech gadgetry and futuristic body modification (or biomods), you are granted near superhuman powers.

    Travel the globe while uncovering fiendish plots of world domination. Unmask the conspirators, while uncovering the shocking truth behind your own origins.
    ]]>     09 Dec 2006 01:08:20     The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay was released in June, 2004 for Xbox, and in December, 2004 was released for Windows as the "Developer's Cut", with the improved shading effects and higher resolution expected with the pc release, as well as added content.

    Inspired by the Vin Diesel movie, the story begins with you captured by mercenaries and locked down in the toughest and bleakest prison in the galaxy. Your obvious task is to make an unprecedented jail break, and will require intelligence, sharp wits, combat skill and sometimes stealth.

    Additional Game Features:

    • First person shooter, but with some third person actions, and even some RPG aspects.

    • Over 30 levels, split into checkpoints.

    • High quality musical soundtrack befitting the movie tie-in.

    • Player eventually acquires "eye shine", a vision enhancement that becomes very useful in the often dark environments.

    • Tied to the movie not only be relating to the story and atmosphere, but including movie star vocal talents such as Vin Diesel, Cole Hauser as Johns, Kirsten Lahman as Shirah, Willis Burks II as Pope Joe, and Ron Perlman as Jagger Vance.

    • Among the first games to use "normal mapping".

    • Fight with melee weapons, special moves, pistols, rifles, shotguns, and more, although by default, guards weapons are DNA coded.

    • Single Player campaign only.

    Developer:Starbreeze Studios
    Publisher: Sierra/Vivendi Universal Games
    Released: Xbox in June, 2004 followed by Windows release in December, 2004

    Minimum System Requirements, PC Version
    CPU 1800MHz, 256MB RAM

    ESRB Rating: Mature (17+) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
    ]]>     22 Dec 2006 09:51:54     Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Step inside the most richly detailed and vibrant game-world ever created. Oblivion is the latest chapter in the epic and highly successful Elder Scrolls saga and utilizes the latest PC and next-generation video game hardware to fully immerse you into the experience.
    ]]>     25 Nov 2006 06:28:05